Inspire Me Monday - Put A Stem On It

Hello Friends, How are you today? If you celebrated Easter .... a belated Happy Easter to you. I hope you all had a lovely weekend with sunny skies. 

It's Kathy Racoosin here for another "Inspire Me Monday" post. I have two cards and a video to share with you today.

Who doesn't love a peony and this "Peony Muse" stamp set is drop dead gorgeous plus I love that there are coordinating die cuts ... that's a double woo hoo. Sometimes you might not have the die cut or might not have time to color more than one bloom ... if that's the case put a stem on it.

Watch the video here in HD.



Watercoloring doesn't come easy for me and I recorded my process in case you are curious. If you just want to watch my watercoloring unfold please watch ... if you are looking for proper instruction ... it's not that kinda of video.

When I was finished with the watercoloring I used a white colored pencil and a purple pencil to add some detail and remove some color ... I am always searching for what I call that "sweet spot".  To balance the large bloom I felt I needed one of the lovely sentiments from the stamp set. I also added a small bow with some twine for the finishing touch. 

This peony was colored with pencils only and I felt this one was best without a sentiment. I colored this one while I was traveling and it took a lot longer. I fussy cut a skinny stem and the bloom and used some foam tape to pop it on my card. 

Layers and layers of lines with pencils is the way I like to add color with pencils. I am sure you might be wondering what brand of pencils I recommend? I really don't have a favorite ... the only thing I favor is a very sharp tip & I continually sharpen the tip while I am coloring.

Marcella's illustrations always have beautiful detailed lines that guide you where to add darker pencil highlights. Thanks Marcy!! 

Almost finished here. I used a beige ink to stamp the peony and ... any lightly colored ink will do. I like to add some dark brown, navy or black to color in the nooks and crannies. 

Here is a close of both. So next time you are coloring a flower think about putting a stem on it. Have a great week and thanks for your visit today. Hugs, Kathy